Song of Adolescence

“You’re finally looking like an expert now.” Xiao Se withdrew his gaze and lazily stated so.

“Expert or not, does it really matter? What matters is whether I can survive tomorrow.” Wuxin directed his gaze forward at that point. “Also, you’re right. I did, in fact, have my reasons for choosing you two.”

“Oh?” asked Xiao Se.

“When I was cultivating the Demon Enthrallment, my teacher once told me that there were only two types of people that won’t be affected by it. One, a person pure of heart, never tainted by the mundane world. The other, a person whose heart is so mired in thoughts that even he himself can’t see through it.” Wuxin explained.

“I assume the former refers to Lei Wujie and the latter refers to me then?” Xiao Se stared ahead, hands folded within his sleeves and eyes glazed, as if he wasn’t here at all. In response, Wuxin merely smiled and clasped his hands.

“What about Chen Jingzhou then?” Lei Wujie asked all of a sudden. “That day in the Grand Sanskrit Temple, wasn’t Eunuch Jin Xian unaffected by your Demon Enthrallment as well?”

“It wasn’t that he overcame my Demon Enthrallment. He did, in fact, get enthralled by it, it was just that his will was too strong so it only ensnared him for a moment. You two are different, when we exchanged glances, there was no reaction at all.” As he said that, his pupils flashed purple.

“And? So what if there are two people unaffected by the Demon Enthrallment?” Xiao Se asked in an off hand manner.

“The Rakshasa Hall has already been destroyed by the old monk. Should I die, all the martial arts within would be lost as well. Because of your qualities, my plan was to pass onto each of you a specific martial art. Though this will only be a single night of teaching, it’s more than enough for the two of you. That way, I wouldn’t have let down that old monk.” Wuxin smiled as he turned around to face Lei Wujie.

Naturally happy to accept his favor, Lei Wujie asked “What martial art?”

“If I’m not wrong, you’re a fist user?” Wuxin asked.

“That’s right.” Lei Wujie nodded.

“In the past, there was a Book of Weapons, compiled by the Hundred Insights, wherein they grouped the seven most dangerous weapons of the martial world into a category known as the ‘Seven Weapons’. Of those seven, the fist occupies a spot as well -even though it wasn’t a weapon, it was superior to one! Today, what I’m about to teach you is the Grand Arhat Demon Subjugation Invincible Vajra Divine Skill!” Wuxin declared like an expert educating his junior, though his lips were curled in a slight smile.

Lei Wujie was stunned for a moment before saying, “that’s a really long name…”

“Watch carefully!” Wuxin took several steps forward, each foot landing with a solid thud as he threw out a vigorous punch with his right fist, sleeves flapping about with a snap from the sheer force. Just like that, he transitioned smoothly into a full set of fist strikes.

Although it was an well executed sequence of strikes that stirred up a gale through its sheer force, Xiao Se didn’t seem all that impressed with his eyes knitted together in a frown. Once the entire sequence was over, Wuxin turned to Lei Wujie and asked, “Did you get it all?”

Lei Wujie hesitated for a moment then nodded his head.

“Repeat it for me.”

“Mhm,” Lei Wujie answered then reflected back on his experience for a moment before repeating the entire sequence of strikes with surprising accuracy, though the vibe he gave off was markedly less fearsome. 𝘧𝔯e𝗲𝙬ℯ𝙗𝓷o𝘷e𝗹.𝐜𝑜𝒎

“Good. I knew you were bright,” praised Wuxin. “As expected of a disciple from the Lei Clan of Jiangnan’s Incendiary Hall.”

Finally, Lei Wujie looked down at his fists and voiced the question he had kept within himself all this while, “forgive my stupidity, but exactly what makes this fist technique amazing?”

“Hmph,” Xiao Se snorted. “Moron, he was just bluffing you. How was that some Grand Arhat Demon Subjugation Invincible Vajra Divine Skill? It was clearly the Grand Arhat Fist, a beginner’s martial art from the Shaolin Temple. You can buy the manual at the base of Mt. Song for just twenty coppers. Even the waiters from my inn know a couple of its moves.”

“Eh?”

“Rubbish!” It was a ‘rubbish’ said with the utmost righteousness and force by Wuxin. “There was once an esteemed Vajrayana Buddhist monk who spent years practicing the Grand Dragon King Fist. Over fifty years, he repeated it hundreds of thousands of times, to the point where he could draw out fire from ash, and cause a flower to bloom from rock. Through sheer force of will, he transformed that ordinary fist set into the ‘Mahayana Dragon King Divine Skill, and became a master in his own right. With your inborn purity of heart, such a simplistic skill is best suited to you.”

“Really?” Although Wuxin’s explanation sounded sincere, Lei Wujie couldn’t help but harbor a shred of doubt within him.

“Really. But fifty years is clearly too long. Don’t tell me a hale and hearty teenager like you would be satisfied with practicing till he becomes some old sod before making his mark in the world? It’s precisely at such a tender age that you should stir up a storm in the martial world! Listen here, that Grand Arhat Fist you executed was merely the first half of the technique. The latter half is the demon subjugation part. Only by combining the two will you get the true Grand Arhat Demon Subjugation Invincible Vajra Divine Skill! The latter half is a little hard so I’ll guide you by hand!” Wuxin then took a step forward, grabbed Lei Wujie’s hand and actually began teaching him by hand.

In the beginning, one could still watch the pair earnestly practicing the fist technique. However, as time passed, the speed of Wuxin’s teaching sped up to the point where even Xiao Se couldn’t keep track of the punches they threw out. All he could see was a pair of figures, one white and the other red, jumping about on the roof. A long while later, the pair finally stopped. Lei Wujie stood there sweating from head to toe, chest heaving. On the other hand, Wuxin was a lot more composed as he let go of Lei Wujie’s hand and retreated a step. “I just led you along three repetitions of the technique, remember it well.” 𝘧r𝘦𝗲w𝘦𝚋𝐧o𝘷𝘦𝙡.co𝑚

“I…have.” Lei Wujie sucked in a deep breath then.

“Good! Repeat it once more.” Wuxin smiled.

“Alright!” He answered after taking a short break. Circulating the qi within himself, he took a forceful step forward. Yet the moment he did so, he punctured a hole through the roof with his feet, falling down into the temple below from the confusion.

“AH!”

“Good, you’ve learned well.” Wuxin giggled as he squatted down beside the hole Lei Wujie just created.

“How was that good…” Lei Wujie grimaced. He wanted to step up but he couldn’t muster up the strength to do so, as if all the qi within him had leaked out.

However, Wuxin paid him no heed, standing up a mere second later to look at Xiao Se below him. “Next is your turn.”

“I don’t know any martial art, just some movement skill. As for whatever fist techniques you might have, I have no clue about them. Exactly what can you teach me then? Hmm, that water treading skill isn’t half bad, how about that?” Xiao Se answered.

“Your heart’s too heavy for the Unheaven Water Treading Divine Skill. There’s no way you can master that, you will just end up sinking halfway.” Wuxin shook his head.

“Unheaven Water Treading Divine Skill?” Xiao Se furrowed his brows. “Were all the martial arts of the Rakshasa Hall named in such a flippant manner?”

“Nope, some of the manuals had their names partially worn away so I made them up.” Wuxin admitted without hesitation.

“Well, you’ve got the wrong person. There’s nothing you can teach me other than movement skills.” Xiao Se shrugged, not at all concerned about the potential ultimate martial art skill that he was about to learn.

“No, I haven’t. The martial art that I’m about to teach you doesn’t require any foundation, all it requires is time. What I’m going to teach you today will most likely take a long, long time to learn.” Wuxin leaped down to join Xiao Se, and he did so, a flash of purple sparkled resplendently within his eyes.

“That’s…” Xiao Se frowned ever so slightly.

“What I’m about to teach you is the Demon Enthrallment!” The corners of Wuxin’s mouth curled upwards as his eyes continued flashing a bright purple.